Heatwave reveals lost archaeological sites across Wales
Summary
A long period of hot and dry weather in Wales has revealed many hidden ancient sites in grasslands. These include Roman buildings, World War One practice trenches, and other historic remains that are usually hidden underground and only visible from the air.Key Facts
- Wales had about 5% of its normal rainfall in July, with very dry conditions since mid-May.
- Heatwaves and drought have made buried archaeological sites visible through marks in crops and grass.
- These crop marks appear because plants grow greener where old ditches trapped water and nutrients.
- Some sites seen now have not been visible for 20 or 30 years.
- Discoveries include prehistoric long barrows, Roman forts at Caerhun, and World War One practice trenches in Deganwy.
- Archaeologist Dr. Toby Driver uses aerial photography to record these sites before the marks vanish.
- Digital image processing helps reveal faint crop marks that are hard to see with the naked eye.
- The dry weather has made these archaeological features visible each year instead of every five to seven years as before.
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